Treason Keep : Book Two of the Hythrun Chronicles (The Hythrun Chronicles)

Rating:
Summary: A riveting mixture of religion and politics in a fantasy set
Review: Jennifer Fallon has become, to me, one of the premiere fantasy authors out there. Her plots are always intricate, involving a mixture of politics and religion that is simply breath-taking. Lots of interesting events happen, characters are betrayed, things go against them in unexpected ways, and the same characters solve their problems in somewhat unpredictable fashion. In this second book of the Hythrun Chronicles, Treason Keep, Fallon continues her winning technique. The sequel to Medalon, Treason Keep ratchets up the tension, adds some new characters, transforms one, and keeps the reader riveted in the process. Her second book (published in Australia) shows a lot of improvement over Medalon, and that one was so good anyway that I was salivating for this one.

"Unexpected" is the word to use for a lot of the events in Treason Keep. Sure, there are some predictable occurrences. Whoever doesn't see one of the budding romances in the book is completely blind, but even the predictable parts come from the characters rather than being imposed by authorial fiat. Given the personalities of the two characters involved in said romance, and the circumstances of them coming together, it's very understandable how that happens. Also, some happenings are predictable, but the manner in which they happen takes you by surprise. The failure of a plan that would end the entire series if it worked is not surprising, but as the events unfurled I found myself gasping in shock, though looking at the lead-up to them and saying "so that's where she was going with that!" In fact, many of the chapters end in jaw-dropping moments which made the book very hard to put down.

Fallon's mastery of her characters is even better in Treason Keep than in Medalon. In the previous book, I said that Fallon's only weakness was the evil character, Joyhinia (R'Shiel's mother). This time, she doesn't even have that problem, though she comes close. While she does a wonderful job with the religious fanatic, Cratyn, who marries the princess of Fardohnya, he is not the most three-dimensional character. He is interesting to read about, though. Perhaps that is because we only see him through others' eyes and not his own. On the other hand, Loclon suffers a little bit from his single-minded need for revenge against R'Shiel. The interest in his character is saved mainly because he gets into a situation that is supposed to help him get his revenge but instead makes him a pawn in a religious and political game that he wants no part of. His thought processes are one-dimensional, but what happens to him grabs the reader and makes him more interesting than perhaps he deserves.

The rest of the characters are wonderful, though, especially Mikel. Mikel is a fervent believer in Xaphista who becomes thoroughly confused as he witnesses the adult events swirling by around him. He thinks Adrina is the perfect Karien woman, devout and knowing her place as a woman, until he sees the real Adrina. But then he sees the real Karien and realizes that it may not be the place for him. All of the interactions between these characters are intricate and build layer upon layer into the story. Even the minor characters are relatively three-dimensional, though Hablet, the king of Fardohnya, is a little stereotypically devious. Thankfully, he's only in the book briefly.

There were really only a couple of faults in the book (and the series), though one of them may be resolved in the next book, Harshini. The first is that I'm a bit bothered by the fact that R'Shiel and Tarja's romance was imposed on them. Fallon treats it like any other romance, with them mating like rabbits when they're together (though thankfully there isn't a lot of that, and no graphic scenes), but the fact that it's against their will (or at least, much more than either one had planned) is disturbing. If Fallon has it revealed in the next book and there are some consequences, then I will be very happy.

The second problem is there is a battle (more like a massacre) that seems to be in there for no real reason. Ostensibly, I think it's in there to show the lack of tactical expertise on the Karien side, but I get the sense that there's something underlying to it that just doesn't come out in the book. I kept waiting for some clue as to what the purpose was, but it never came. While the Kariens are not tactical geniuses, they do appear to have some generals who know enough to keep that from happening, so there must be some other reason. This seems too minor to be "fixed" by a revelation in the third book, but if it is, great. Here, though, it just seemed really out of place and to give Adrina an excuse to get away.

Ultimately, Treason Keep improves on Medalon. It was Fallon's second book, published in Australia in 2001, and it still shows some of her growing pains. The prose isn't that polished, but it's certainly serviceable. However, the book held my interest from beginning to end and showcases her ability to keep a lot of plot threads, both religious and political, from getting tangled up into one big mess. Actually, they do become a mess, but it's a mess for the characters, not the reader. Instead, she makes us care about the characters and want desperately to see how everything turns out. It's almost enough to make me try to get the Australian copy of Harshini so I don't have to wait.

David Roy

Rating:
Summary: Well Worth Reading
Review: The second in book in this series is even better than the first. As usual, the world is beautifuly drawn and the characterisation is without parallel. The politics and the plot twists will leave you gasping and unable to put this book down. I thought it was brilliant.

Rating:
Summary: Poorly Written
Review: This is one of the worst books I have read. I rarely provide feedback because I think that people have different opinions on what is a good book. However, I purchased this book on the advice of the other readers (5 Stars) and have to counter the positive feedback.

This book is poorly written. The characters are flat - the dialog is unbelievable and the story doesn't flow. I don't understand how this passed by an editor without some major revisions.

Take a pass on this entire series.

Rating:
Summary: exciting sword and sorcery thriller
Review: Though succeeding along with her half brother Tarja in their revolt against their obsessed mother, ruling First Sister of the Blade of Medalon, R'shiel is dying and the kingdom is in trouble from outside invaders seeing an opportunity to take advantage of weakness. Tarja and his small loyalists struggle to stop the Karien invasion.

R'shiel's only hope to survive is to somehow find and convince the magical Harshini healers to save her life. The Harshini agree, but R'sheil must pay the price. Though the healers vow never to kill, they use others to handle the dirty work as fees for services rendered. R'shiel must destroy the Karien God Xaphista.

Meanwhile alliances are forming. Tarja joins with the Warlord of Krakander, Damin Wolfblade while the kingdom of Fardohyna, through a regal marriage of Princess Adrina, forges a partnership with Karien. However, betrayal and personal agendas are everywhere.

Book Two of the Hythrun Chronicles (see MEDALON for the first tale) is an exciting sword and sorcery thriller that focuses more on the adventures of Damin and Adrina rather than the half-siblings, overall stars of the series. The story line hooks the audience as it moves along the four prime subplots until all converge in a terrific climax. Though like most fantasy miniseries, readers are better off starting with the first chronicle as references allude back to it, newcomers will still appreciate this strong tale that never slows down until that final convergence of heroes and villains.

Harriet Klausner